Thiruvananthapuram: Shyam Kumar is a first year psychology student at MG College in Thiruvananthapuram. He is an amputee and walks around with a dialysis adaptor for his survival. So far, Shyamkumar has undergone 14 surgeries for his ailment. Despite all his limitations, Shyam Kumar was active at flood relief collection centres in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation and Women’s College centre extending help to the unfortunate people in his own way.

World came to know about the goodness of this young man through a Facebook post by minister Thomas Isaac. Shyam Kumar is the son of Sreekumar and Saralakumari, natives of Peyad. Shyam Kumar, a volunteer of Green Army, a social service group in Thiruvananthapuram corporation told to Mathrubhumi that these physical limitations don’t prevent him from helping others.

I was actively helping in relief camps in Thiruvananthapuram last year too. This time also, I want to help in my own way. That is my wish. I will be there where help is needed, said Shyam Kumar.

Shyam’s right leg was in folded state since birth. As the medicine couldn’t make any change in the condition, his leg was amputated and replaced with an artificial limb at the age of 10. Unlike everyone, he has three kidneys. There are two kidneys at the right side one above the other which caused abnormal functioning of them. Even at this age, his urinary bladder has the size of a three-year-old boy. Thus, the urine that reaches the bladder overflows and returns back to kidney and damages its functioning. Shyam Kumar uses a tube to urinate.

Till now, he has undergone 14 surgeries. His father Sreekumar is a daily wager. In the last three months, Shyam Kumar has been carrying his urine tube and urine drainage bag even when he goes to college, wrote the minister in his FB post.

Shyam Kumar can’t do any hard job. At collection centre, he helps with packing and coordination. He was here for four days and returns home at around 2am or 3am. That too, only for clearing his urine drainage bag. By 10am, he will come back to the collection centre.

Earlier, he used to do cycling and play football. Now he can’t because of the seriousness of his disease. His kidneys work only 23 percent. If it falls down to 20 percent, he will need to undergo dialysis. He consumes nearly 30 pills for his survival.

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